Xiaomi's entry-level devices, the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A, were launched last year with MIUI 9.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo and eventually upgraded to MIUI 10 still based on Oreo. While users may have pegged hopes for at least another major update to Android 9.0 Pie, Xiaomi recently ruled that it will be canceling any testing for the update due to an apparent lack of beta testers. This would have come across as some disappointments but against all odds, Android Pie update for the Redmi 6/6A still seems to be in the process.

Xiaomi does not seem to have completely given up on the two Redmi devices as we learned about early alpha builds of MIUI 10 based on Android Pie for the duo. Xiaomi may be inspired by its peers - especially Samsung, which has adopted a rejuvenated approach for updates and been pushing Android Pie updates to a score of entry-level smartphones like the Galaxy J4 as well as the M-series. While this may be exciting news, the process of getting Android Pie on your Redmi 6/6A may be risky.

These MIUI builds are meant to be for testing in small numbers and are at an early stage of development. This also implies that these builds are likely to have a lot of bugs and may be unstable. We recommend you to avoid this build if you're using either the Redmi 6 or the Redmi 6A as your daily driver. Furthermore, the method for downgrading to a more stable ROM is unclear as of now and previously known methods may or may not be useful.

While MIUI 10 is visually the same irrespective of whether it is based on Android Oreo or Pie, the update adds a useful feature in the form of a Dark mode.

 

In case you're still willing to give it a go, you can flash these MIUI 10 ROMs based on Android Pie in Fastboot mode using ADB or Mi Flash tool. Remember these are not Recovery ROMs, so you can't install them using Recovery or MIUI Updater app. Installing this ROM on your Redmi 6/6A is a gamble so make sure you know all the conditions before playing.

Download Android Pie update for Redmi 6

Download Android Pie update for Redmi 6A

Thanks to XDA Recognized developer yshalsager for the download links and Telegram users @jonaaa20 for the screenshots.